In ancient Greek myths, a huge number of characters, including gods, demigods, and mere mortals. All the plots created by the Hellenes are not so easy to remember. Who are the Argonauts? Sometimes even someone who read the legends and tales of Ancient Greece will not immediately answer this question.
Ship
Argonauts are participants in a campaign in Colchis , the western part of Transcaucasia, located along the eastern coast of the Black Sea. They went there on a ship, from the name of which the word comes. We consider its significance today. The ship "Argo", according to the plot of the legend, was built not without the help of Athena. The goddess adorned the building with a fragment of a sacred tree, the leaves of which possessed miraculous power.
Jason
The Argonauts are sailors led by the son of Polimedes and Tsar Iolk . His name was Jason. In total, 45 argonauts went on a campaign. This number, however, is approximate. Ancient Greek poets gave different lists. So, Theocritus believed that there were only 60 Argonauts.
Mariners have experienced many adventures. But they managed to fulfill the assignment and deliver the golden fleece to Greece. Medea, the Colchian princess and sorceress, helped them to accomplish this feat. Jason later married her.
The legend of the Argonauts is a story whose creation is inspired by a number of historical events. However, like any other myth. In Libya, there was once a bay called Argoy . There were other toponyms whose etymology is associated with the name of the ship.
Argonauts - these characters are present in the tragedies of Aeschylus - a playwright who is called the father of European tragedy. The famous campaign is reflected in various works of art related to Antiquity.
This, of course, does not mean that the Argonauts really once obtained a golden fleece in Colchis, in which the sorceress Medea helped them. However, according to historical sources, there were predatory raids by sailors. The ancient Greek writer Strabo in his work mentioned gold, which brings mountain streams and very attracts barbarians.
Other values
Argonauts are not only mythological characters. This is also the term by which the genus of cephalopods is designated. The myth of the Argonauts is reflected in modern culture. At the beginning of the 20th century , a group of poets appeared in Russia, named after ancient sailors. The ancient Greek word "Argonauts" was borrowed by French engineers, the creators of the submarine. In addition, in 1939, the light cruiser Argonaut was built in Great Britain.